New Delhi: The Indian government has allowed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran KhanÂs aircraft to use its airspace for his upcoming travel to Sri Lanka, sources have said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Khan will arrive in Sri Lanka on February 23 on a two-day official state visit.

In 2019, Pakistan had denied permission to Prime Minister  Narender ModiÂs aircraft to use the Pakistani airspace twice for his visit to the US in September and Saudi Arabia in October citing alleged human rights violations in Kashmir.

On denial of overflight clearance for a VVIP special flight by Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that Pakistan was deviating from well-established international practice. India had also taken up the denial of permission to VVIP flight with the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Sri Lanka had earlier reportedly canceled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran KhanÂs planned address to its Parliament during his visit to Colombo.

Imran Khan, who will be the first head of state to visit the country since the Covid-19 pandemic is scheduled to hold talks with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

It is said that the speech to Parliament had been included in KhanÂs itinerary at the Pakistan government’s request. However, it was later canceled and Sri Lankan media gave various reasons for the cancellation of KhanÂs address, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported last week.

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